3 comments:

He's an interesting fellow - not easily pigeon-holed into a particular camp. He calls himself a Five Point Spurgeonist, but loves Wesley and Tozier. He's known for his convictions on the centrality of scripture and salvation - and that salvation is a mighty work of God in us, not just the matter of saying the sinner's prayer and head to Denny's. He's not the funniest person ever (so we don't really get the spoonful of sugar), but on the other hand, his message is a major wake up call and not a fun trip to Disneyland.

I do like that he recognizes that the big deal in the Gospel is the question - how does a just God redeem sinners? If he's just, how can he redeem? And if he redeems, how can he be just? The solution is that Jesus not only took our sins on the cross, he became as sin - he became sin itself - a very very sobering truth and one I think we often forget in our quick fixes of "baptismal covenants" (as if "splash 'n dash" is how we are saved) or that we are simply made in the image of God so how can anyone be upset?

The deal here that God loves us - as we see in this video - is that it's simply amazing that he does (do we really get that or do we think we actually deserve to be loved?) and that by walking in that love (as I heard in a wonderful sermon today) just has powerful ramifications not only for our own lives but for the world. But it's a walk, an every day walk - we are not just "saved" - we are being saved.

I also am quite convicted by another talk I listened to by Paul about the church. He really hammered the idea that we talk so much about the disunity in the church, that it's broken, etc. The stuff of this blog, actually. He really takes that to task because Jesus prayed that we are one - and Paul said, that's actually the reality, the Church is one - because God keeps his promises. The question then is - what is the Church? Who is the bride? He gave an example of when you come across a believer in some unexpected place, like an plane and once the identification is made, you've found a brother, a sister, a mother, a father - you are one. I know what that is like and it's extraordinary. The Church is One. I guess my question then is, if it's not one - then is it the Church? This is true on all sides of the aisle - his criteria is the centrality of scripture (nothing more, nothing less) and the supernatural act of the saving grace of God in the hearts of people - that is the criteria, what is the evidence that we have actually been saved? I'm mulling that one over.

So I put up the second video - He is mighty to save, even in this late hour.

I like your analysis. His preaching seems bold and less about him and more about the Gospel. There is a power in what he says and I wish I preached with more of that affect. The Missouri Synod fathers talked about a healthy balance between Law and Gospel in preaching with a predominance of Gospel. Grace is not cheap. I am now more inclined to think about the depravity of man and the need for repentance. Since God is sovereign, I don't believe there is what I would call a "formula" we may follow to get God to respond to us. We do work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We tend to see repentance as a corrective but it is also proactive. I preached on the "The Reconciliation of a Penitent" (BCP 467) recently and many parishioners had never taken advantage of this. Many were no more aware of it than the items in the "historical documents" section of the BCP. Anglicans in general have lost contact with their own tradition because of ignorance of their own BCP. We cannot add members the same way the mega churches add them. We must properly instruct them in the faith. Church growth for Anglicans requires good soil and roots.